ROBERT THE PLANT (18/08/11)

I have had a wonderful day this morning. This post has nothing to do with Led Zeppelin or Robert Plant.

This is Robert the Plant. Many thanks to the source of all knowledge……..Dr Phil Gates at CABINET OF CURIOSITIES for identifying it as Melilot. His blog is always worth a visit as is his web site…………..’ I see no Ships!’. Sorry about that Phil. I’ll be even sorrier in a while because I’ve a sneaking suspicion I’m going to be needing help later in this post.

Last night whilst cooking tea……….cooking is perhaps a slight exaggeration……..Preparing pickled herring and a warm salad is what I was doing. I did boil some potatoes. I was listening to this on the radio. Not enjoyed anything so much in ages.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00yqspr/Wondermentalist_Cabaret_Episode_4/

Well nothing that takes half an hour! The bloody Archers followed it and I fell over the dog in my haste to switch that claptrap off……..One kind reader suggested I may suffer from A.D.D. Attention Deficit Disrobing…….I think? She was being polite but I suspect meant I’m a slate loose. I don’t mind as long as I’m certified sane. I’m not!  A hard thing to be in the UK…….one has to be mad as a sack of spiders before you can apply for the sane certificate. Which says more about psychologists than it does about us loonies.

On with the post, I've a lot to get through today………….I was just a wee bit distracted for a moment.

     Two more of  Melilot.

Whilst sitting in the weeds I noticed this Seven Spot Ladybird………….it was shy and no matter how I tried I couldn’t get a head shot. I even gave it a poke with a bit of grass.

  To no avail, as you can see. It really was a very shy Ladybird. Or perhaps it assumed it’s bum was it’s best feature. An assumption many ladies have in common!

Amazing what one notices when sitting in vegetation…………a blurry Cinnabar Moth larva. chomping away at Ragwort. There was only a slight breeze this morning but it’s enough to ruin a carefully planned shoot. At least it’s dry. I would have been better using a telephoto but the macro lens is sharper in perfect conditions. In anything less than perfect…….it’s worse.

We went out again at around ten. ………….Still a slight zephyr but I used a bean bag instead of the tripod. A kind lady stopped to enquire if I was all right. She was worried seeing me lying in the grass. Thought I was ill or mad. 

  She was fine when I explained I was snapping Scarlet Pimpernels. Thanks again to Phil Gates for the first I.D. John at Scriptor Sennex knew what it was as well. It is a wee bobby Dazzler of a flower and less than a quarter of an inch across.

Now I hit the real problems of this late morning outing………not only do Scarlet Pimpernel go to bed early they get up late it wasn’t till eleven o’clock they got out of bed and according to Phil they are back all tucked up by three.

 

  These are minute flowers around an eighth of an inch across……The quality is poor…………..Hey Ho! I’m learning the lingo…………These are Record Shots…….sounds much better than Crap Shots.

Despite or may be because off the poor conditions I really enjoyed this mornings perambulations. Take pictures of little things and it sure cuts down on the leg work.

I may or may not post tomorrow. I have a shot in mind but it will involve a severe soaking. You all have a good weekend.